Whether this is your first time away from your home friends or you’re a senior and have said goodbye too many times to count, maintaining your friendships with people who don’t go to school with you can be tricky. These are the people that helped you get through elementary, middle, and high school, though. You can’t just stop talking to them. The memories and bonds you share are too valuable to throw away, or even neglect.
Sometimes, though, you do drift, and it is vital to remember that people change and grow. Keeping the friends that you hold close to your heart can be difficult at times, but hopefully these tips can help!
1.Share the big stuff
Getting that “GUESS WHAT?????!!!!” text can be the best part of your day. If you have no idea what they’ve been up to, the answer can be crazy and unexpected. It can range from “the cafe had curly fries today” to big relationship news. Either way, the excitement is real.
2. Snapchat
My high school friends and I have a group Snapchat and we send everything from not wanting to get up in the morning to 2:00 a.m. cooking adventures. It’s an easy way to share the little stuff: being stuck in lab until 10:00 p.m. listening to Mariah Carey, you actually attempting to use an elliptical, or even wine and Gossip Girl.
3. Watch the latest episode together
This season was the last season of Teen Wolf, a show me my friend have been watching together since 2012. The first half of the season aired over the summer, so every Sunday night we would watch it together. Going to college didn’t stop us. We didn’t drive hours to be together when it was on, but we had FaceTime. I mean, if we were both going to watch it live, why not make it even better with open communication?
4. Memes
I have one friend who graduated last spring, so not seeing her every day has been weird. We like to share memes and Tweets on Twitter. We probably send about fifteen a day. They always make me laugh and most of the time they relate to something about us, which is always the best. It’s an easy and fun way to keep in touch.
5. Gossip
“Can you believe so-and-so are dating?”
“Did you hear that _____ is pregnant?”
Texting your home friends immediately after seeing someone announce that they are pregnant will never get old. School friends won’t care as much because they just don’t know how annoying she was in Chemistry, but your home friends will gladly gossip with you about her.
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The distance may be hard, but the friendships are worth it. If they loved and supported you through all your embarrassing teen years, they are going to love and support your for life. People change, but friendships can survive anything if effort and understanding are put into them.